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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
thank you jdav for reading this book and forcing me to read more classics
Throughout the novel of Candide by Voltaire, the character of Candide has many misfortunate events that take place in his life. His whole life is full of pain and suffering, not just himself but also the people around him and those that he cares about. Throughout all of his experiences, he insists on following the teachings of his mentor, Pangloss, who taught him that the world in which he lived was the best of worlds. The saying seems ironic and blatantly false with everything that Candide had to suffer through.
As Candide goes through his life with this philosophy in mind, he encounters ghastly horrors and experiences physical pain and torture. Candide’s misfortunes first start out with his love for Cunegonde, which gets him expelled from his home. He has to endure thinking that Cunegonde was savagely ravished and ripped open to die. Even after he finds this information to be false and Candide finds Cunegonde once more, she is again taken from him. The calamity continues on through the end when even after everything he has gone through he has to live out his life with someone that has turned ugly with age and whom he has no feelings for anymore. Candide also has to endure the hanging of his beloved mentor, Pangloss; though does eventually find him in the end too. The ideals that Pangloss bestows upon Candide help him view the situations Candide encounters.
Pangloss thinks that the world is perfect and that everything that happens on Earth happens for the greater good of everyone. This view is demonstrated throughout by Pangloss's account of why people are suffering and why they themselves have had to endure so much pain. Pangloss explains to Candide that “the Bay of Lisbon had been made on purpose for the Anabaptist to be drowned” (10). Pangloss’s interpretation of the death of the Anabaptist shows his lack of understanding in how the world around him is affecting the people around them in a negative way. His conviction that “the goods of the world are common to all men, and that each has an equal right to them” (22) led Candide astray in the way he views the world about him. The optimistic view Pangloss expresses makes Candide’s sufferings all that more apparent and the many hardships in which he had to endure. It was just one thing after another, never stopping, either with Candide being whipped, or one that was close to him suffering.
The world is not perfect; there are fallibilities that no one can foresee. The world is not perfect, much in opposition to Pangloss’s philosophies; both Martin and the old woman see the follies of the world, and the cruelty one has to live in on a daily basis. Martin takes a distinctive pessimistic view about the world in which they live, “‘But for what end, then, has the world been formed?’ said Candide. ‘To plague us to death,’ answered Martin” (55). The hardships faced with living in the world in which Candide and Martin do have to be dealt with all in their good time come to Candide in the form of torture, rape, robbery, etc. The old woman also gives Candide counsel about the way life is, “I have had experience, I know the world; therefore I advise you to divert yourself, and prevail upon each passenger to tell his story; and if there be one of them all, that has not cursed his life many a time, that has not frequently looked upon himself as the unhappiest of mortals, I give you leave to throw me headforemost into the sea” (29). Through her experience of the world, there is only pain and suffering. She also says that everyone has an experience in their life where they have had to suffer and that the world is a cruel, torturous place.
After so many horrors and tribulations that Candide has to face he finally comes to the conclusion, “’All that is very well,’ answered Candide, ‘but let us cultivate our garden’” (87). The hardships he has had to endure during his life lead him to the assumption that everyone has to make their own way in the world. The world throws forces at one that is beyond anyone’s control. It is how someone deals with his or her misfortunes that really matter in life.
As Candide goes through his life with this philosophy in mind, he encounters ghastly horrors and experiences physical pain and torture. Candide’s misfortunes first start out with his love for Cunegonde, which gets him expelled from his home. He has to endure thinking that Cunegonde was savagely ravished and ripped open to die. Even after he finds this information to be false and Candide finds Cunegonde once more, she is again taken from him. The calamity continues on through the end when even after everything he has gone through he has to live out his life with someone that has turned ugly with age and whom he has no feelings for anymore. Candide also has to endure the hanging of his beloved mentor, Pangloss; though does eventually find him in the end too. The ideals that Pangloss bestows upon Candide help him view the situations Candide encounters.
Pangloss thinks that the world is perfect and that everything that happens on Earth happens for the greater good of everyone. This view is demonstrated throughout by Pangloss's account of why people are suffering and why they themselves have had to endure so much pain. Pangloss explains to Candide that “the Bay of Lisbon had been made on purpose for the Anabaptist to be drowned” (10). Pangloss’s interpretation of the death of the Anabaptist shows his lack of understanding in how the world around him is affecting the people around them in a negative way. His conviction that “the goods of the world are common to all men, and that each has an equal right to them” (22) led Candide astray in the way he views the world about him. The optimistic view Pangloss expresses makes Candide’s sufferings all that more apparent and the many hardships in which he had to endure. It was just one thing after another, never stopping, either with Candide being whipped, or one that was close to him suffering.
The world is not perfect; there are fallibilities that no one can foresee. The world is not perfect, much in opposition to Pangloss’s philosophies; both Martin and the old woman see the follies of the world, and the cruelty one has to live in on a daily basis. Martin takes a distinctive pessimistic view about the world in which they live, “‘But for what end, then, has the world been formed?’ said Candide. ‘To plague us to death,’ answered Martin” (55). The hardships faced with living in the world in which Candide and Martin do have to be dealt with all in their good time come to Candide in the form of torture, rape, robbery, etc. The old woman also gives Candide counsel about the way life is, “I have had experience, I know the world; therefore I advise you to divert yourself, and prevail upon each passenger to tell his story; and if there be one of them all, that has not cursed his life many a time, that has not frequently looked upon himself as the unhappiest of mortals, I give you leave to throw me headforemost into the sea” (29). Through her experience of the world, there is only pain and suffering. She also says that everyone has an experience in their life where they have had to suffer and that the world is a cruel, torturous place.
After so many horrors and tribulations that Candide has to face he finally comes to the conclusion, “’All that is very well,’ answered Candide, ‘but let us cultivate our garden’” (87). The hardships he has had to endure during his life lead him to the assumption that everyone has to make their own way in the world. The world throws forces at one that is beyond anyone’s control. It is how someone deals with his or her misfortunes that really matter in life.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- Reminds me of the “Everything’s fine” dog meme
- This is an approachable short classic about roasting absurd optimism
- Loved the ending: “Let us cultivate our garden”. Fuck everything, mind your business, touch grass, and grow your own vegetables
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Let us cultivate our garden <3
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Still more of a Rousseau fan, but the vibes of the period here are fun.